I enjoy fresh salad every day and like to make sure that I get a healthy infusion of goodness to help me stay vibrant. I also try to  make my dishes interesting with a wide variety of goodness, to keep me and my family coming back for more. Apart from the appetizing taste, this particular salad is charged with a few nourishing gems…

First we have fresh turmeric, a warming spice well known for its potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, detoxification qualities. Then we have walnuts, also rich in anti-oxidants with a healthy dose of melatonin (helps regulate sleep), B-vitamins, vitamin E (of the gamma-tocopherol vitamin E variety, which is excellent for cardio-vascular health). I like to include sun-dried tomatoes, not only because they taste so good but because they provide the welcomed gift of lycopene, an antioxidant that has been repeatedly shown to protect our cells and DNA against free-radical damage. Once we toss in some cauliflower, carrot, kale, rocket (arugula), each brimming with nutritional goodness of their own we soon have an amazingly healthy, filling medley that tastes quite divine.

This ‘Walnut, Turmeric & Tomato Super Detox Salad’ starts off by first creating a delicious thick sauce with which to immerse the main salad in.

Serves: 2 – 4
Preparation: 20 minutes (plus soak time in advance)

Ingredients:

Sauce:
75g (2½ oz) walnuts
1 tablespoon freshly grated turmeric (or 1tsp dried/ground)
2 tablespoons (30ml) sunflower oil
50g (a large handful) sun-dried tomatoes (with water to soak)
1 tablespoon (15ml) raw apple cider vinegar
½ a medium sized apple
10 tablespoons (approx) sun-dried tomato soak water

Salad:1 large carrot
½ to 1 small cauliflower
A few large kale leaves
A couple of handfuls of rocket (arugula)
A sprinkle of fresh parsley (to dress with)

1. Begin ahead of time by soaking the sun-dried tomatoes in fresh spring or filtered water for about three hours (or until soft enough to blend). You can often purchase pre-soaked sun-dried tomatoes, although I usually find that they come in oil or vinegar – they should work fine too if you take them out of the oil.
2. When your tomatoes are ready, drain and keep the soak water (you will need it again shortly).
3. Peel and grate the turmeric with a fine grater. If you’ve never used fresh turmeric before then you’ll soon find that it turns everything it touches yellow (including your hands). If you don’t want yellow finger tips for the next 24 hours, then wear gloves. I prefer to really connect with my food, so I accept yellow fingers as a reminder of the amazing health benefits of turmeric.
4. Blend walnuts, sunflower oil, soaked sun-dried tomatoes, grated turmeric, apple cider vinegar and apple in a jug together to create a thick pate. I tend to use a hand (immersion) blender for this. It helps me press down the ingredients and scrape the blade easily until I achieve the right consistency. Add about 10 tablespoons of the soak water back in to make it into a thick sauce (this will make it easier to mix in with your salad). If you used pre-soaked tomatoes and don’t have any soak water, then simply use fresh water instead.
5. Grate your carrot and chop the rest of your veggies, saving the parsley to sprinkle on top.
6. Mix the chopped salad in a bowl with the sauce adding a little dash of water to loosen if you find the sauce too thick.
7. Enjoy on this own in salad bowl or as a side dish with something like millet, quinoa, sweet potato wedges or rice.

Variations:

• Instead of sauce use it as a thick dip. So, don’t add the extra 10 tablespoons of soak water to your sauce ingredients and serve as it comes straight after blending along side a salad.
• If you don’t like turmeric or fancy a change, then try using fresh ginger instead.
• Be creative with whatever veggies you have available. This salad goes particularly well with any dense veggies. Try grated sweet potato, swede (rutabaga), celery, broccoli, sliced cabbage etc. as alternatives.

Check out my other turmeric recipes here:

Tumeric & Sweet Potato Falafel Bakes: www.kindearth.net/tumeric-sweet-…an-gluten-free

Turmeric & Mushroom Rice: www.kindearth.net/turmeric-mushroom-rice-vegan